Electric submersible pumping systems are often deployed into wells to recover petroleum fluids from subterranean reservoirs. Typical electric submersible pumping systems include a number of components, including one or more fluid filled electric motors coupled to one or more high performance pumps located above the motor. In many instances, downhole components and tools are subjected to high-temperature, corrosive environments, which often lead to failure of these components. Downhole sensors are needed to provide reliable data regarding the physical, thermal and chemical properties of the components and downhole conditions.
Current downhole sensors used to transmit data about the downhole components and characteristics require cable attachments and connectors connected to the various components. Typically these sensors are not able to provide information about the state of the components during operation of the submersible pumping system and attempts to measure downhole characteristics during operation often results in errors due to indirect measurements. Further, sensors are often located on large, bulky instrumentation and require intrusive methods to measure downhole characteristics. For example, lateral shaft displacements of an electric submersible pump motor is often monitored by penetrating through the stator of the motor with some type of position sensor.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved wireless monitoring system to provide more accurate, real-time condition monitoring of the downhole components during operation of the submersible pumping system. It is to this and other needs that embodiments of the invention are directed.